Narcissists on the other hand, are interesting in the sense that they already tell themselves everyone loves them, they’re the best thing since sliced bread, and everything they do is like the first time something really useful was invented for human kind.

Like the lightbulb.

Or condoms.

They also obsess over being the best…which in turn, often makes them push themselves to be the best.

There are narcissist that are really just insecure people masquerading as narcissist (like Trump), I think, but that’s another story for another time.

Take business for instance. Remember the good old days where you just swung by a company, maybe sweet talked the receptionist into getting you a spot to see the boss, or walked in regularly and asked to see the person in charge because you saw an ad in the paper?

You put in your CV/resumé, you either got seen the next day, or same day, had an informal chat, and before you knew it you were hired?

There were no 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, interviews plus one drink-the-blood-of-a-goat final 5th ritual interview, just because they needed to cross-examine to make sure they were convinced enough to hire you.

There was no portfolio you had to present, no vague requests to “prove a track record of success” without actually specifying exactly what they’re looking for.

A guy looked at your CV, had a chat with you to see if what was on your CV wasn’t bullshit, and went with his gut.

This amazingly managed to do just as good of a job as what recruiters are “trained” to do (but fail ever so miserably at) when it comes to ensuring people were hired based off of their talent or skills they could bring to a company, rather than nepotism or particularism.

Remember when you could just walk up to someone, apologize for interrupting, and compliment them on something you really liked about them physically?

Or maybe you’d just be in the bookstore and strike up a conversation about a book you see someone considering buying and you’ve bought it before so hey great, conversation starter.

There’d either be a positive or negative reaction, you’d maybe swap numbers (home numbers, no mobile phones then), eventually go on dates, etc.

Once you were in the relationship, texting day-to-day wasn’t necessary nor was it possible.

The person just trusted that you liked them and them only, and when you both did call to meet up again, you valued it more.

You never really had to convince one another you were into each other, because each time you both met it was like meeting each other all over again – all due to a build up of the feeling of missing one another and looking forward to seeing each other.

Friendships are the same way. I could go on and on and on but I think you’re smart enough to draw up your own examples.

I’m very much action oriented…so maybe this irritates me more than others.

But frankly, I don’t believe in people’s words.

Ironic, right?

A writer, who writes, and writes, and writes – but doesn’t believe other people’s words.

Well, maybe it’s a little more nuanced than that.

I believe people’s words, but I watch their actions.

I don’t believe in proving, don’t believe in convincing, and don’t seek approval.

I’ll take someone’s word, trust and expect them to do the action, and leave them to it.

If they don’t I don’t really care, because I don’t attach much weight to their words first time around.

I do believe that actions speak a lot louder than words, when carried out.

Largely because of the fact that as the desire from people, of people to prove themselves, to convince other people that they are what they are, can do what they can do, feel how they feel, and need what they need, increases…it only perpetuates the issue of words becoming devoid, meaningless – lip service.

Now heat everything over a medium heat until you’ve got your water just below boiling, making sure you stir everything well in order to make sure the sugar dissolves completely (this is important, dammit).

Take your saucepan off the heat, and let your syrup cool until it’s room temperature.

Grab a mason jar (it’s really important that it’s a mason jar), pour the syrup in there, seal it, and (gently) toss it in the fridge.

You’ve gotta have some patience here.

Let it sit in your fridge for a week, then strain out the peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.

Take another mason jar (a clean one), pour the syrup in it, seal it, and pop it back in the fridge.

Or, you know, use it, for the above cocktail recipe.

Spiked Hot Chocolate

I’m a fan of coffee and hot chocolate – not really a tea drinker (partly because I suck at making tea – except for spice tea I do a pretty bang up job of making that)…but hot chocolate is one of my all time favourites.

Considering most franchise coffee shops can’t make a good cup of espresso to save their lives (there are few, and they are legends), it’s what I opt for when I’m being asked to sit at a coffee shop and socialise with other people I’ve known for a while…or new ones.

But generally, it’s not socially acceptable to slip the barista some alcohol and ask him to spike your drink.

Nor is it acceptable to spike your own drink, apparently – otherwise that mother with her child wouldn’t be giving me the stink eye whenever I whip out a flask.

When you’re at home though, everything’s fair game.

Wanna act like you’re the only one in line? Go for it.

Spike your hot chocolate? Be my guest.

Walk around naked? Go wild.

You get the idea.

Here’s how to do it (the spiking – not the nudity) properly.

You’ll need:

A decent hot chocolate.

8 oz. of it.

1 oz. Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur

1/2 oz. Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur

A Dollop of Freshly Whipped Cream (do it right – none of this pre-whipped business)

Mint Leaves (fresh, for garnish)

Make your hot chocolate – whichever one is your favourite, but just make sure it’s quality.

Add in your hazelnut and walnut liqueur and stir everything together well – use your bar spoon for this.

Top it off with that freshly whipped cream you slaved over making, and garnish with some mint leaves (let’s say, about a sprig).

Done.

There’s a reason for using walnut and hazelnut liqueurs…they add depth to the cocoa base.

This is perfect for when you’re sitting by the fire with your hot toddy – aka that special someone.

Speaking of – I promised you a story with a little insight into me, didn’t I?

Musings Episode 86: Give Back…

I managed to watch The Philadelphia Story over the weekend. A favourite of mine but something I haven’t seen in a while…and something hit me.

We live in a world where a lot’s going on right now.

Not to say that every generation hasn’t – but let’s stop sugar coating – humans on autopilot have a habit of continually reaching all time lows before redeeming themselves by remembering to be “human” again.

People who work as employees that don’t choose the route of an entrepreneur put in a lot of hours to build an entrepreneur’s dream.

To the entrepreneurs reading this, let that last one sink in for a minute.

If you’ve got employees working for you, who believe in you, who give value in their work and don’t shirk their responsibilities, who don’t mind building your dream, and are perfectly content with just collecting a cheque every couple of weeks or every month, it’s important to remember that they, too, have lives.

If you’re an entrepreneur and you see you have employees who are entrepreneurial minded like yourself, don’t covet them; don’t hold them back; don’t refuse to hire them; and don’t fire them, if you see that one day they’ll leave your company.

With summer fun still pressing on, I figure why not continue the trend of travel. With 7.5 billion people and a world that’s meant to be explored, planes were designed for a reason. So don’t even think about touching that TV remote, put down the junk food, get out from under your rock, and get to exploring – humans were made to travel. Let’s go.

For The Weekenders: Luxury Swiss Manors, Underwater Dining, Royalty for a Weekend…

Museums. Remember those? You might have been to a museum in your life at least once – maybe part of a grade school trip, maybe as an adult, or maybe you pulled a Ferris Bueller at some point. I like to think of museums as a collection of snapshots in time – because well, that’s what they are. Obviously.

Ever so affectionately called Chaplin’s World, this little gem gives you a warm tour of Charlie Chaplin’s life. So if you’re a producer, director, screenplay writer, or even just a film enthusiast, you’ll feel right at home, while you’re guided through, well, Chaplin’s old home (not so fun fact: in the 40’s Chaplin was, unfortunately forced to leave the United States and settle in Switzerland).

“They just don’t understand art, Oona.”

So here’s how to get this trip done right. You’ll book a few nights at the Modern Times Hotel, where you’ll stay in possibly a regular (read: Superior) room, or preferably a Junior suite (all mattresses have cashmere wool so you can sleep like an oversized baby).

True to their word, the floors are swathed in white oak and stone, and you can get fresh water from their spring in Les Pléiades with bubbles (bubbles optional).

You can also grab some breakfast before heading to the museum, to be sure your energy reserves are fully topped up before venturing on to the museum.

Alright so this is where the magic begins. Things get a bit intimate here as you’ll be learning about Chaplin’s personal life; his childhood, his sense of style, taste, his family man side, so to speak…and let me tell you, the man had style.

Having a look over his personal belongings (intended to sound waaay less creepy than it did) you can see it was a classic style nonetheless, timeless, but relatable; it’ll feel like you’re visiting an old friend, rather than a manor turned museum.

Except this…unless running into Uncle Einstein making silly faces at himself in the mirror is your thing and reminds you of home, then that’s great too.

You’ll also get a chance to see his work…and by work I mean a taste of what it was like to work in film back in his era. From a replication of movie sets to a behind-the-scenes look into how brilliant movies are made, this is your chance to step back in time and experience it all.

Alright so by this point you’re probably hungry – well there’s a magnificent little cafe restaurant at the centre of the park (yes, there’s a park – I’ll get to that in a minute, be patient) called “The Tramp“.

First, you’ll want to charter a flight to Male’ International Airport. Then, from that airport, you’ll charter another flight (via seaplane) to Hurawalhi Maldives – scenic doesn’t even begin to describe the 40-45 minutes flight over. Hopefully you’ve picked which villa you want – there are a plethora of them to choose from.

Don’t worry – the main thing is you’ve got options – just like in Pitbull’s song – except, different options in this case…or maybe both – which reminds me, this is an adults only getaway, no kids, sorry.

This also means you’ve got to grab someone to tag along – start looking through that little black book.

But you’re not here to just sleep – you’re here to enjoy yourself. With loads of activities to do, there’s no excuse to be bored.

If for the first day or two you wanna recover from jet lag, and keep things chill, they’ve got a sports ground, games room (Pacman anyone?), and fitness centre, all neatly within reach.

You will never beat my high score in pinball. Ever.

When you fee like you’re ready to delve into some adventure, grab that perfect 10 you’re with and go ahead and show off your sporting skills with things like wakeboarding, jet skiing, speed boating, or maybe just reuniting with Flipper.

Reunited and it feeels so goood.

If you’re not that into adrenaline there’s more low key things to do, like parasailing, playing hide and seek with manta rays, or just snorkeling.

Holy crap…is that Nemo?

Naturally, after that, you’ll probably want some protein and or carbohydrates – meaning food…but you may not want to get out of the water just yet.

Queue 5.8 Undersea Restaurant – a place where you can sit back, watch Nemo and his little school friends swim by, sip on your favourite wine, and enjoy some quality fuel before your next adventure.

All while they look on in horror as you devour their math teacher, Mr. Shrimp (I’m KIDDING. Geez…it’s just his cousin).

Think of being in a big aquarium, except you’re the fish and everyone’s checking you out.

If eating underwater isn’t your thing, you can always check out the Aquarium Restaurant and Bar, featuring a Teppenyaki grill for those of us who want a slice of Japan while already having a slice of the Maldives. The menu is sustainable, meaning tree huggers can have their cake and eat it too – all while enjoying a fantastic ocean view.

This is far from an overstatement – you can actually book the entire castle if you’ve got a good bit of people you fancy entertaining. With a plethora of suites and living areas to choose from, everyone can have their own space.

There’s also a wonderful little private butler to bring you bubbly, while you’re in a bubbly bath.

So if you’ve got a family reunion you’ve been made the head of to organise, and really don’t like Uncle Carl and Aunt Sue, you can just put them in the servants quarters.

Or, to avoid being cut out of anyone’s will, you can book them a luxury suite/room in The Relais – the surrounding village – that will impress – without giving the impression that you’re not too fond of them.

…I feel like I’m in Assassin’s Creed II.

The castle itself comes with a large kitchen, and private chef to whip up whatever your heart desires, a private butler to answer your (almost) every request, and endless panoramic views offered up by taking a short trip up to the towers.

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The rooms and suites outside of the castle and throughout the village are pretty decked out as well, with ridiculously supple bed linen, jacuzzis, and enough fine furniture to satisfy even the pickiest family member.

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If you feel like treating yourself to some pampering (or down time away from everyone), there’s an abundance of wellness options to choose from at Agua Spa at The Relais. You can enjoy a taste of Morocco while discovering their sauna, heated salt water pools, steam baths, and so much more.

So if you decide to bring that special someone along, and want to escape the maddening 21 questions about marriage your family keeps throwing at you, you guys can always head for a Signature Agua Spa Couple treatment – where after indulging in a few bottles of wine and food bathed in olive oil during your stay, you can then bask and bemassaged in said wine and olive oil…just in like, a way more scientific, homeopathic way.

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If there’s ever a perfect opportunity to excuse indulging, this is it.

Fit for a king (or queen).

As always…

Stay awesome.

– Rego

Improve Your Lifestyle. Improve Yourself. This is Life. This is Rego’s Life.™